A Tribute to Emilie Kleckner Hough

Today, November 8th, is the anniversary of the death of someone very special in the life of my family. Her name was Emilie Kleckner Hough (as her husband Jack would always say, “it rhymes with tough”). Of all people, Emilie has had the most tender and long-lasting effect on those of us who loved her.

I was running a small business when I received a call one evening from a mutual friend. Helen had been a neighbor and close friend of the Houghs for decades, as is often the case in small towns. She said that Emilie needed someone to visit with her for a few hours each week. Her husband Jack needed a break, and Helen was convinced for some reason that I was the answer to the problem.

I was adamant that the job was not for me. Emilie had Alzheimers—an unsettling diagnosis due to its unpredictability. Long story short, however, I went to meet the Houghs and was smitten. It was one of the best decisions of my life.

What started as a very few hours a week at their home gradually turned into my running a round-the-clock team toward the end of the next 2 ½ years. This dear couple filled the roles of parents for me and grandparents for my girls. The love they infused into each of our days lightened our burdens, shared our joys and brought laughter into our lives.

Both Jack and Emilie are hugely missed, even still on this 23rd anniversary of her home-going. I always imagine that she is included in that heavenly “cloud of witnesses” that Scripture assures us we are surrounded by. I know I will see both her and Jack again. They will be two of the people I will be looking for first.